INSIDERS

Having lived her childhood in England, Mom was no coward
when it came to blustery days – yet, she declared the October
day too blustery for our picnic near the lake.

The cozy sunroom on Paulina was the perfect indoor picnic
setting; bright lamplight, itchy olive green wool blanket
set on top of thick Persian rug replicating grass so accurately

we giggled as we brushed off little black ants who were certainly
running up our legs. Opening the picnic basket, squealing with delight
in discovering my prized farm lunch pail with silo thermos storing

sticky red Kool-Aid, Yogi Bear’s favorite peanut butter and grape jelly
on Wonder bread with a side of salty yellow crunchy Fritos. Licking
our gooey fingers, we agreed this was the best lunch we ever had.

Pretending the day sunny and warm, an outside glance took in
another world of gray skies, cold rain, chilling wind that blew
precarious leaves off trees to splay flat on window panes, desperate

clinging refugees with nowhere to go; begging to be welcomed
into our safe, sun-dappled, exclusive haven.


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Elizabeth Surlin Gordon lives in the Chicago area and writes poetry, essays, middle grade/YA fiction, and a holistic wellness column for Our Evanston magazine. Over the pandemic, she wrote the children’s book, Where Is Everybody? Her work is published in Open Secrets Magazine, BAC Street Journal, East on Central, 10th Ward Lit, and others. She has received awards from Point of View and Highland Park Poetry.